Adventures in writing,creative writing unit, writing lesson plans, Jennifer Berthelot

Elaboration Strategy - "What Do You Know?"

The purpose of this activity is to focus the students’ attention on making their writing more descriptive by questioning what they have written about a particular topic.

Model the example outlined below. Explain to students that it is very important that they pay close attention to what you are doing because they will be responsible for applying the strategy to a piece of their own writing.

1. Copy the following lines onto the chalkboard.

The cat ran into the street. I saw the car.

I was worried. The cat ran away just in time.

2. Read the lines aloud.

Ask -“What do I know about the cat?” Answer (could be any detail they come up with)- “It was black.”

3. Go back to the writing sample and add the word black in both sentences that contain the word cat.

The black cat ran into the street. I saw the car.

I was worried. The black cat ran away just in time.

4. Read the new lines aloud.

Ask - “What do I know about the street?” Answer - “It was busy.”

5. Go back to the writing sample and add the new words.

The black cat ran into the busy street. I saw the car.

I was worried. The black cat ran away just in time.

6. Read the new lines aloud.

Ask - “What do I know about the car?” Answer - “It was red. It was speeding.”

7. Go back to the writing sample and add the new words.

The black cat ran into the busy street. I saw the speeding red car. I was worried. The black cat ran away just in time.

8. Read the new lines aloud.

Ask - “Why was I worried?” Answer - “I thought the cat was going to be hit by the car.”

9. Go back to the writing sample and add the new words. Notice that the new words or idea does not have to be written into the story word for word. If need be, an entire new sentence can be added.

The black cat ran into the busy street. I saw the speeding red car. I was worried about the cat because I thought the car was going to run it over! The black cat ran away just in time.

10. Read the new lines aloud.

Ask - “What do I know about how the cat ran away?” Answer - “I know I felt relief once that cat was out of the way. The cat ran away quickly.”

11. Go back to the writing sample and add the new words. Notice that all suggested ideas do not need to be used in the new sentences.

The black cat ran into the busy street. I saw the speeding red car. I was worried about the cat because I thought the car was going to run it over! To my relief, the black cat ran away just in time.

12. Read the new lines aloud.

Ask - “Are there any more details that I want to add or words I would like to change?” Answer - “I could call the cat a calico cat. I also don’t like the way the third sentence is worded.”

13. Go back to the writing sample and add the new words.

The black calico cat ran into the busy street. I saw the speeding red car. I was worried about the cat because I thought the car was going to run it over! To my relief, the black calico cat ran away just in time.

Have students suggest alternative ways to word the third sentence.

Now it is the students’ turn to practice this elaboration strategy on their own writing. They may begin by creating a new piece of writing, or they may use some of their work that is already underway. After the students have had the opportunity to add to their work, encourage them to share the first version with their peers, as well as, the elaborated draft so that their peers can comment on the differences between the two drafts.